[UPDATE: Oh man, I was way off. That’s not Rose Pak, not at all. (And it’s not even Fake Rose Pak.) Well, that’s one mystery solved. Now, who took this shot* back in the day. It was done with a Canon Digital Rebel made in the mid-2000’s, that’s all I know. Anyway, somebody pointed me towards it and then it found its way to SFist. Back in the day.]

Perhaps you or someone you know has already been offered a homemade cookie by a fellow sitting on an inflatable couch at a random street corner. That likely would have been me.

I’ve been doing this in the Bay Area for a few months now and plan on continuing for the foreseeable future. Perhaps it’d make a good story for you. I’d certainly be grateful for the attention, plus you could get some cookies!

I started doing this a little over a year ago while I was living in New York City. As an unnoticed independent musician, I was tired of promoting myself. I didn’t have the ego for it, and found it a huge distraction. I still needed people to take an interest in me, it only seemed fair that I took more of an interest in them. I didn’t really know anyone who’d become famous by simply meeting thousands of people, yet it seemed the most reasonable thing to do.

So how is a married, non-drinkier supposed to meet people, and of all types and backgrounds on a massive scale? Not the internet!

Social networking made it quite obvious to me that most people want to make friends and share things about themselves. But it didn’t seem to be happening off line. I do use the Internet, as well as my 24 hour Free Cookie Hotline, to announce my whereabouts and post video journals of folks I meet. But the real action is on the street,

Somehow it just seemed like a good idea to hang out on an inflatable couch with homemade cookies, and it’s turned out quite well.

I … usually make appearances 1-3 times a week. I post my exact time and location once I’ve figured them out. at FreeCookies.Net Facebook.com/FreeCookiesNyc and twitter.com/freecookiesNYC

I also announce on the 24 hour Free Cookie Hotline 347-829-4YUM.

Learn more about my adventures at FreeCookies.Net, or better yet, come find me sometime and have some cookies!

Happy January!
Scott Alexander

“In a world of virtual friendships, Scott Alexander is playing it old school” NY POST

This was the paltry take at the San Francisco Botanical Garden donation box near the main entrance at the end of last Friday: two one-dollar bills, plus an exotic dollar coin (a Susan B. or something similar) plus a (possibly kosher) cookie with a giant letter “K” on it.

That certainly is a small amount if it represents a good portion of all the money donated that day. No matter, it looks like a “mandatory donation” policy is scheduled to be coming.

But we’ll see what the Board of Supervisors thinks about that, soon enough.